Where we are for now...

This is very hard for me to write. I know that may come as a shock to you considering the previous things I have written- one would assume that nothing is hard for me to write, but there are a few things that fall into that category. It is hard for me write, because I am still reeling from the events of this past week, and really still have no idea what to think.

We were on our last leg of paperwork for our visas. We were given the ok to come to PNG if we got our support level to 60% (we are currently at 51%), all our stuff is already on its way. We were preparing ourselves for our last Christmas in the US for the next 4 years. We were traveling hard and fast in one direction- a direction that we were very excited about, then we hit a speed bump. Well, more like a pothole really. A big pothole that causes your tire to blowout and your car to spin out of control and leaves you sitting beside the road wondering if your car is totaled or if you will be able to get back on the road again.

The Wednesday before last we had to have chest x-rays as part of the paperwork process in order to get our visas. Unexpectedly, JM's came back showing some enlarged lymph nodes. They scheduled him for a CT scan this past Thursday. The results from that said that the swollen lymph nodes were "extensive" and he had one of 2 conditions, Sarcoidosis or Lymphoma. We were shocked, scared, and very confused. We had a family Christmas party to attend that night, so we just held everything in and tried to get through it. We called a few people to tell them to pray, but decided not to tell his family until after all our Christmas events because we didn't want to ruin anyone's Christmas. So, Saturday night after all the family festivities were over, we told JM's parents. His sister was there who works for the best pulmonary doctor in the State, and she immediately got on the phone with him to get some help. She took the disk from JM's CT scan to him and he looked at it today. He said that he thought it was one of 3 things Sarcoidosis, Lymphoma, or Histoplasmosis. The latter was good news to us as it has a short and simple treatment, and is very common in the Southeast.

JM now has an appointment on Tuesday with this doctor and they will do blood work and a biopsy to determine what is really going on. As of now, we still feel very strongly about our calling to PNG. We do not feel like the Lord wants us to change our plans about going- He just might be changing our timing a little. We of course, are praying for the condition with the fastest healing time, so we can continue as soon as possible. We know that there are people living and dying everyday without access to the Gospel and the longer it takes to get over there- the longer they will go without hearing. We feel very confident about JM's health. He doesn't feel sick at all, and even if the worse case scenario of cancer is true- we know that Lymphoma is very treatable.

Right now, we are just trusting God with His timing. I don't understand at all. I mean this seems like a perfect time for us to go to me. We are almost done with paperwork, our support is almost where we needs it to be, jeggings are in style, and that is a look I will never be able to pull off, our stuff is already there... I don't understand, but I trust. I learned a long time ago that God is good. Knowing that, we are able to trust Him, love Him, and praise Him in every situation! Our times are in His hands (Psalm 31:15) and there is no other place I would want them to be!